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Team Ladybirds - Wind Turbine Project

Introduction: Team Ladybirds - Wind Turbine Project

Brief

To design and make a wind powered generator in the most efficient manner. The energy generated by the device will be determined by measuring the highest power output available from the generator as measured by the product of the generator's voltage and current.

Step 2: Transmission - Step 2 - Laser Cutting

For the transmission, we need something to keep it all together. We chose to use Perspex as it is strong rigid, easy to cut and viewers of our turbine will be able to view the inner workings of it easily as it is transparent.

3 rectangles of perspex were cut using the laser cutter
- All contain 4 6mm holes at each corner and 2 4mm holes in the centre and centre top
- A large hole was made for the motor on 2 of the rectangles, size varies with motors but ours was about 35mm in diameter

The spacing of the holes was measured using the radius of the gears used.

Step 3: Transmission - Step 3 - Metal Cutting

Using a hack saw we cut:

- 4 6mm steel thread rod to approximately 250mm long (we ground down the tips so they were neat and nuts screw easily on to them)
- 2 4mm plain steel rod 300mm and 100mm

Step 4: Transmission - Step 4 - Assembly

All 3 perspex rectangles were placed 25mm – 30mm parallel to one another, the one without the large hole at the front. The small holes at the top, big hole for motor at the bottom. The threaded rod went through the holes in each corner, the motor through the 2 big holes. The small 4mm rod through the 4mm holes, the longer one through the top (filed if necessary)

Double nuts were used on the threaded rod to keep it all together.

Gear arrangement

The 40T gear was attached to the motor, the 50T gear meshes with that on the smaller 4mm rod. On the same rod is a 10T gear that meshes with the 60T gear on the longer rod, to which the blades will be attached to.

Step 6: Housing - Step 2 - Spine

The spine is the point where the transmission and housing are linked together.

It was made by sawing a rectangle of 15mm plywood to the correct dimensions

Then we drilled 6mm holes lining up from where the 6mm threaded rod sticks out from the transmission, making it so the top of the plywood is parallel and flush with the top of the perspex.

A 30mm hole was made at the centre to thread through wires from the motor.

Stand

A block of wood was drilled and screwed to the back to stand it up at an angle of 5°

Step 7: Housing - Step 3 Â Side Walls

The side wall design was mainly thought out due to aesthetic reasons and the bird or leaf like shape was a recurring design with most of our prototypes.

The top side was measured to be the same length as the plywood and perspex transmission the side perpendicular to that the same depth of the transmission the other lengths were calculated so they hid the rest of the transmission and inner parts.

The sides were the drilled and screwed on to the spine. The drilled holes were then counter sunk.

Step 8: Housing - Step 4 - Perspex Cover and Finish

A perspex rectangle was cut to size using the bandsaw and then bent around the top of the sides and spine using a hot wire, to create a neat cover.

Holes were drilled and countersunk into the perspex to secure it to the housing wood.

A small piece of pine wood was screwed as a support at the back to keep the sides from bending in.

The whole housing was then painted with 3coats of white emulsion and sanded between each coat to create a smooth finish.